


Enchanted

by aeroreign



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, Comedy, Happy Ending, M/M, Manipulation, Mind Control, Romance, i haven't written a fanfic since 2015, let's fuckin go ig
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeroreign/pseuds/aeroreign
Summary: “This… is the story of how I died. But don’t worry! This is actually a very fun story and the truth is it isn’t even mine; this is the story of a boy named Cloud, and it starts… with the planet. Once upon a time a single spout of lifestream burst from the planet, and from this spout the lifestream condensed into a small, magic crystal. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured. Well, centuries passed, and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away there grew a Kingdom, the Kingdom was ruled by a beloved King and Queen, and the Queen --- well she was about to have a baby, but she got sick… really sick. She was running out of time and that’s usually when people start to look for a miracle, or in this case… a magic blue crystal..”…“The magic of the turquoise crystal healed the Queen. A healthy baby boy, a Prince was born! With beautiful glowing eyes. I’ll give you a hint --- that’s Cloud. And for that one moment everything was perfect, but then that moment ended… A woman called Jenova broke into the castle, stole the child, and just like that --- gone! The Kingdom searched and searched but they could not find the prince, for deep within the forest in a hidden tower, Jenova raised the child as her own.”
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Enchanted

**Author's Note:**

> A Clack-centric Tangled AU closely but not strictly following the plot from Disney's Tangled! Original movie only as I haven't seen the TV series or anything else to come out for it. The biggest changes from the source material being that I've switched the Sundrop Flower for a weird Lifestream / materia / mako based... thing, my idea behind it to make it fit Rapunzel's powers relatively closely and not make Cloud overpowered is that it's along the lines of a Cure materia while also giving Cloud the trademark SOLDIER mako eyes (instead of Rapunzel's long hair) as well as enhanced endurance; no added strength to keep him on a similar playing field to the rest.
> 
> Cloud more fits his Crisis Core personality and skill set than VII or Advent Children and some characters like JENOVA, Biggs, and Wedge are written closer to their Tangled counterparts.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this! I haven't written a fanfiction in half a decade so apologies if this comes across as a bit scattered or rushed. Happy reading!

\---------- CCCCC ----------

  
  
  
It was a day like any and every other; waking with the sun, head lifting off lonesome bed to gaze out a drawn curtain in recognition of the rising dawn only for a mess of wild spikes to drop back down into fluffed up pillow, deciding --- almost a little woefully --- to rest a while longer. He’d slip back to sleep for another hour, maybe two if he was lucky, and then it was up and at ‘em. With a wide stretch that puffed his chest and the ball of a palm rubbing at an eye Cloud would slowly shift out of bed, the cold press of smooth stone flooring against bare feet doing wonders to truly jolt him awake.

The outfits available to him he’d had for years now; some for summer, some for winter, though they were all quite bland and unassuming. Loosely fitting single colour t-shirts that were a size or two too big, so he’d grow into them --- Mother had said. Well fitting yet still slightly oversized pants that bunched at the bend of his knees and around his ankles, long enough that they sat under his heels and dragged against the floor while he walked, as well as a simple belt to keep them safely at his hips. Once nightwear was discarded for daily clothing it was time to rouse his little companion from their sleep too, climbing up the rafters to a little nest just above the bed to peek at the little chocobo who resided there.

“Rise ‘n shine, Fenrir.” Cloud called considerably softly as the chick seemed less than enthused at being disturbed, turning over to face away from the blond in a strop. “C’mon; early bird gets the worm.” He urged, and scooped Fenrir up into his palms --- no fighting this one! Plopping the chick onto his shoulder while the poor thing struggled to wake up Cloud skillfully scaled back down, landing on bare feet with hands at his hips before glancing side to side. Right. Now for the same dilemma he seemed to have every day without fail…  _ what to do _ .

It was what Fenrir was so grouchy waking up for this early every day and Cloud felt it too; what was the point in starting bright and early if it was just the same thing over and over and over once more? Well… mostly because Mother disapproved when he overslept.  _ You can be many things _ , Cloud began to remind himself, repeating in his head the words Mother had spoken countless times in the past, --- _ But lazy is not one of them _ .

Taking a step or three toward a pile of loose rope resting in a ring at one of the corners of his room Cloud made a hoop and spun it round, tossing it up toward a lever high in the tower’s roving to open up a wooden shutter and let the sun pour down into his bedroom below. Now twisting on a heel to check the clock perched on his wall, a gentle song began to pass his lips as he kicked it to high gear and went about his morning.

“♪ ♫  _ Seven AM. the usual morning lineup, start on the chores and sweep 'till the floor's all clean --- polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up. Sweep again, and by then it's like seven-fifteen; And so I'll read a book, or maybe two or three, I'll add a few new songs to my music library --- I'll play guitar and write, and cook and basically just wonder when will my life begin? ♫ ♪ _ ”

He and Fenrir moved about the tower in a way that seemed rehearsed, choreographed, like a dance burned to memory; the days flew by like clockwork (or maybe dragged was a more fitting analogy, Cloud couldn’t recall a single day of his life that had ever left him fumbling in its wake.) Lots of chores, lots of desperate attempts at finding something entertaining to pass his time with, as well as a fair amount spent training. The same old stuff, day in day out, after all --- there was only so much to be done locked up inside a little old tower.

“♪ ♫  _ Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking, paper mache, a bit of swordplay and chess, pottery and ventriloquy, candle making; Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb--- then a rest. And I'll reread the books if I have time to spare, I'll write a few more verses if there’s room somewhere, and then I'll train and train and train and train with care; stuck in the same place I've always been… And I'll keep wanderin' and wanderin' and wanderin' and wonderin' --- When will my life begin? _ ♫ ♪”

With a soundless sigh Cloud wandered toward his open window, hopping up to sit at the window sill and dangle his feet over the edge, palms resting behind him while glowing gaze lifted to the sky and watched the clouds roll by almost wistfully.

“♪ ♫  _ In a few nights the lights will appear, just like they do on my birthday each year. What is it like out there where they glow? Now that I'm older, Mother might just let me go… _ ♫ ♪”

“Kweh!”

The chirp by his ear drew the boy from his daydreams, head shifting to offer a small smile to the chick at his side, an arm reaching up to gently scratch at Fenrir’s feathery head. “It’ll be okay… only thing we can do is try, right?”

“That is a very dangerous way to be sitting, my dear!” A familiar voice called sing-songily, borderline over-peppily from below, immediately catching Cloud’s attention. “I do hope you’re being careful, you and I both know how easily you get woozy!”

“Mother!” He recognized, hurriedly shifting to slip his feet back inside as Fenrir rushed to keep himself hidden, the boy bounding off to retrieve the well used rope discarded neatly nearby after his third round of cleaning. “Coming!”

“I’m not getting any younger down here!”

The woman standing deceivingly patiently below at the foot of the tower looked near nothing like the boy she called her own; Long, straight silver hair like a curtain that hung pleasantly down the expanse of her back, full at the roots yet thinning where it ended and framing her cheeks almost delicately. Matured facial features with blinding red eyes and a long and tall body, much taller than his, yet healthy and deceivingly athletic despite her size. Skin a notably darker shade than that of the pasty-white almost ghostly look to Cloud’s but still light enough to be considered fair. She was silk and velvet and everything sleek and expensive whilst her son could be considered closer to rugged, chipped at the edges yet feathery and soft. Messy. Unkempt. Hesitant --- Everything she was not.

Only a brief pause later with the rope hung securely over a hook in the top of his window frame and Cloud was tossing the bundle out through the window down to the woman below. Jenova easily fashioned a foothold out of its end and patiently waited as she was slowly pulled up, her son practically panting for breath once she’d finally arrived.

“Oh, Cloud, how you manage to do that every single day without fail! It looks absolutely exhausting, darling.” 

“It’s--- it’s nothing.” Cloud assured, breathlessly mind you.

“Then I don’t know why it takes so long.” A tap or two to his nose and a lighthearted chortle as the insecurity settled so obviously into young, pale features. “Oh darling, I’m just teasing.”

An awkward shift, a glance away, and with a hurt little smile and a forced chuckle of his own, the blond let it slide… She meant nothing harmful by it. He knew that. “Right…” This was it. Today was the day… he really couldn’t put this off any longer--- “Mother, I---”

“Cloud, come here a moment would you?” 

Startled out of his own headspace Cloud seemed to retreat into himself for a moment (So much for that) and silently took a few slow steps to his Mother's side, gazing out into the mirror she proudly stood at. 

“Do you know what I see? A smart, talented, beautiful young soul.” The praise was enough to lift life back into the young man, a touching sort of expression filling his features as a smile slowly spread… 

“---Oh look, and you’re here too!”

And just like that --- the smile was gone. Jenova laughed freely as she wandered away once again. 

“Teasing! Oh, I’m positively exhausted from my trip, dear; sing for me, won’t you?”

“Uh, of course, Mother.”

The blond was getting impatient, antsy, and considerably less assured in himself as time went on. Rushing now, he trotted to grab a stool and dragged it over to the chair Mother had planted herself in, sitting ahead of her as a brush and slim fingers found their way into blond spikes.

“♪ ♫  _ Crystal gleam and glow let your power shine--- _ ♫ ♪”

Words tumbled from pale lips in a hurried splutter, soft and almost tripping over themselves as hair shifted from a vibrant, natural light yellow to a neon and fluorescent turquoise blue; eyes glowing violently with it. Jenova was struggling to keep up, picking up the pace of her brushing as Cloud hurried along.

“Cloud---”

“♪ ♫  _ Make the clock reverse bring back what once was mine--- _ ♫ ♪”

“Cloud!”

“♪ ♫  _ What once was mine--- _ ♫ ♪ So as I was saying, Mother,”

He’d shifted in his seat now, hair slowly fading back to its natural hue as he glanced back at his clearly frustrated parental figure, looking a good few years younger around the edges after that rather unsatisfying serenade.

“A really important day is coming up and you sort of haven’t really mentioned it at all so I’m just going to say it --- my birthday’s in a few days; surprise!”

“Mm, no, that can’t be right; I distinctly remember your birthday was last year.”

“That’s the crazy thing about birthdays they’re kind of an annual thing.” Attempting to stab some humour into his tone to keep the desperation out of it Cloud was now up at his feet as Jenova meandered back to tend to the things she’d brought home during her venture into the grand outside.

“Since… you know, I’m turning eighteen and everything, I was kind of hoping, or--- dreaming… for a long time actually…”

“Cloud, stop it with the mumbling you know how much I hate the mumbling, blah blah-blah blah-blah --- it’s very annoying, oh--- I love you so much sweetheart.” In a whirlwind she’d swooped round, mocking the act of his shy stutterings with the repeated open and close of a hand before she’d had a complete change of attitude and closed him in for a quick cuddle and a squish to his rather bony cheeks.

“S-Sorry,” A pause, a moment to reorient himself, “I… I want to see the floating lights.”

“The what?”

“Or --- rather I want you to  _ take me  _ to see the floating lights. They appear once a year on my birthday,  _ only  _ on my birthday. I have to see them, Mother, I can’t help but feel like… like they’re meant for me.”

A condescending little tut like lightly telling off a mischievous child and Jenova was walking over to the open window, slamming the large, solid doors shut. “You want to go outside? Oh! Why, Cloud…”

As she wandered to her son’s side once more Jenova took his hands in hers, twirling them at arm's length slowly as a tuneful song left her lips. “♪ ♫  _ Look at you, a brittle little crystal. Still a growing gemstone, just a shard… You know why we stay up in this tower--- _ ♫ ♪”

“I know but…”

“♪ ♫ _That's right, to keep you safe and sound, dear…_ ♫ ♪” As she sang Jenova maneuvered her way throughout the room, closing all the curtains as she went. “♪ ♫ _Guess I always knew this day was coming; knew that soon you'd want to leave the nest! Soon, but not yet._ ♫ ♪”

“But---!”

“Shh! ♪ ♫  _ Trust me, pet… Mother knows best. _ ♫ ♪” Draped up against one of the wooden pillars in the stairway reaching upward into the rafters Jenova jutted her hip out and knocked it back into the wood, the lever up high snapping upward and closing the shutters high above, effectively and finally drenching the bedroom in darkness.

Neon blue eyes blinked through the black, radiating a faint light as the young man attempted to spot his mother throughout the room. Luckily, with his copious amounts of candles laying around, it wasn’t long until he had one iit; trying desperately to illuminate the room a little brighter.

“♪ ♫  _ Mother knows best, listen to your mother; It's a scary world out there. Mother knows best, one way or another something will go wrong, I swear! Behemoths, beasts, Mandragora’s, quicksand! Cannibals and curses--- Geostigma! _ ♫ ♪”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“But---”

The entire while Jenova was swooping round the open area, pulling various objects and trinkets from Cloud’s cluttered room to help illustrate her point; she tugged and dragged her son this way and that --- his candle was long gone now, dropped on the floor and snuffed out in the mix of it all and Jenova was always one step ahead. As Mother’s always should be.

“♪ ♫  _ Terrorist groups, men with hypnotic stares and--- Stop, no more, you'll just upset me! Mother's right here, Mother will protect you; darling, here's what I suggest! Skip the drama, stay with mama --- Mother knows best. _ ♫ ♪”

Cloud’s valiant attempts to either catch his Mother or light up his bedroom weren’t getting him anywhere, every time he thought he’d had her she’d slip from his grasp, any time the area around him became more than just a distinct cool glow it’d fizzle out once more and he’d be back to square one --- His head was spinning a bit, and the blond couldn’t deny her words were… well, they were getting to him, just a bit.

“♪ ♫  _ Mother knows best! Take it from your mumsy, on your own, you won't survive; Sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy--- Please, they'll eat you up alive! Doubtful and confused, positively grubby, stroppy and a bit, well--- mmm... vague. Plus, I believe, gettin' kinda scrawny, _ ♫ ♪” Words were emphasised by three gentle taps with the back of a palm under a bony jaw. It was no secret the boy was underweight, worryingly so in fact. With how much energy he used training and failed to regain with the limited food Mother could gather for them both he was… not in the healthiest of shapes.

She didn’t, however, have to remind him.

“♪ ♫  _ I'm just sayin’ cause I wuv you! Mother understands, Mother's here to help you! All I have is one request… _ ♫ ♪”

Stopping now, Jenova stood open in the middle of the room with arms parting wide for her stumbling, nerve-wracked son. A look of relief washed over him and eased from his shoulders in one large motion, without hesitation he’d bounded toward her, running into her chest to embrace into a tight hold.

“Cloud.” Voice stern, demanding as she pulled from that warm embrace and placed her hands onto his shoulders, a weak yet just as impactful glare boring down at him.

“Yes, Mother?”

“Never ask to leave this tower. Again.”

“...Yes, Mother.” Head of blond spikes dropped, hanging defeatedly, and with a sigh that seemed to suggest the silver-haired woman was sympathising with him she squeezed his shoulders softly, urging once more for his attention.

“I love you very much, dear.”

“I love you more.”

“I love you most.”

Though rehearsed at this point the words spoke with genuinity. A gentle kiss pressed itself against Cloud’s forehead before Jenova took his arms between her palms once more, pulling back and letting her weak hold run down theit lengths then over his hands before releasing him entirely.

“Don’t forget it! ♪ ♫  _ You’ll regret it… Mother knows best. _ ♫ ♪”

So that was it then… No more arguing. The floating lights were out of the question… Numbly Cloud moved throughout the room, upon order helping his Mother open up the curtains and windows once more. Before he even knew it she was getting him to fasten the rope into the hook in his windowsill once again and she was on her way back down to the grass below, basket in arm.

“Ta-ta; see you in a bit, my crystal!”

Defeatedly, quietly; in one of those mumbles Mother despised so much from his glorified cage up above, “...I’ll be here…”

  
  
  


\---------- ZZZZZ ----------

  
  
  


A thief by trade and a dreamer at heart Zack Fair strove to make life his own as much as he could under the alias he’d upheld since early teenhood now, Angeal Hewley; No one knew his legal name, his backstory or whence he came --- and it felt good, he loved it! A story his own to mold and shape and one he hoped that would someday be successful enough that he didn’t need to resort to petty robbery to survive.

That day, however, was now today, and today… Today was a special day indeed.

Today was the day Midgar Castle’s prized and precious Black Materia would line his pockets with gil. His foretold fortunes were mere hours away!

“Look at it, boys, isn’t it breathtaking? A guy could really get used to a view like this.” ‘Angeal’ commented with a sly heft to his tone, gazing out over Midgar from the castle’s rooftop.

“We don’t have time for this. Hurry it up, Hewley.”

Ah, Biggs. Or Wedge. Angeal hadn’t quite bothered to remember the names in conjunction with the faces just yet. Serious and to the point, weren’t they? Where was the fun in that?

“Hold on, hold on; this is the moment of a lifetime! Just lemme really take it in.” A pause. With two sets of glares burning into the back of his skull that the runaway was very easily ignoring. Angeal shifted, hands at his hips. “Yep. I’m used to it. Boys; I want a castle.” Head turned to flash a grin of pearly whites. Obsidian black, pushed back spiky hair that reached down to the ends of his shoulder blades, golden glowing skin and a lovingly cared for muscular physique made the man quite the charmer. Seemed his companions had poor taste in men however, that smile didn’t even make ‘em twitch.

“You done?”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”

And with that momentary lull over and done with Angeal was getting fastened into a makeshift harness and being lowered through the castle. Now he wasn’t light, mind you, but the boys above were heavier; safe to say if he were one of the ones heaving at the rope up top he’d end up falling in with them, and they couldn’t afford any fuck ups right now.

A guard sneezed.

Okay. Maybe just one fuck up couldn’t hurt.

“Hay fever?” Angeal questioned almost sympathetically as he carefully lifted the delicate glass box he was dangling over, snatching up the Black Materia protected underneath it.

“Uhg, yeah --- wait!”

The guard turned on his heel just in time to see the thief being hurriedly raised through the ceiling, a couple more who had been standing on watch rushing over in complete bewilderment. Angeal could hear muttered curses and grumblings from up above, but he just couldn’t help himself!

In a flash the three were off the second Angeal was up and to his feet, stuffing their steal into a satchel hanging over his side and unclipping the rope from his waist as he went, tossing it aside haphazardly. Adrenaline pushed them through the Kingdom; weaving down rooftops, through streets, and across the bridge into the forest outside as the palace guards took chase on chocobo-back. It was exhilarating, thrilling, and kind of exhausting.

Once they’d gotten a fair way away from the sounds of stomping talons and the cries of guards the three mean slowed for a breather, puffing and panting with Biggs and Wedge surveying the area to figure out which way to go next --- Angeal, however, had much more pressing matters stealing his concentration.

“Oh no… no no no nonononono this is bad, this is  _ very very  _ bad, this is  **_really_ ** bad---” Frantically snatching one of two WANTED posters off of the tree he’d stopped by Angeal stared terrifyingly down at the sketchy image of himself, the thugs ahead of him turning to stare as they finally caught their breaths.

Angeal flipped the offending piece around to show them.

“They just can’t get my hair right!”

…

“Who cares?” One of them --- still couldn’t tell which --- grumbled.

“Well that’s easy for you to say!” Angeal turned back to the tree, crouching down to gaze at the other drawing of the two lugs he was working alongside, giving it a slight tap with the flick of a wrist. “You guys look amazing…”

Angeal’s poster in question was one he formerly was actually quite proud of but the man was convinced that they were using it to taunt him now. His hairstyle. His old hairstyle! He’d changed the way he wore his hair months back at this point, how in the world did they keep getting it wrong? The thief was certain it was some kind of ploy to lure him in at this point, and maybe it was working. “Come on, let’s keep going. Not out of the woods just yet.” Angeal decided suddenly, putting his inner monologuing off to the side for the time being. The three continued to wander through foliage and wildlife, searching for the best escape route from the search party they could hear somewhere faintly to the left of them.

“So, Biggs.” He began, nudging a shoulder into the others arm.

“I’m Wedge.”

“Course y’are! That’s what I meant!” It was honestly kind of embarrassing that he kept getting them mixed up, the two looked damn nothin’ alike. Wedge, he’d now learned, was the shorter of the two. Black hair trapped under a red bandanna he kept wrapped around his head, the only parts poking free were some wispy strands in the front poking out to one side as along with the back of his hair. Though Wedge was the larger of the two in terms of size but he was almost always second in command to his companion here --- Biggs, the taller of the two, was quite muscled and not actually that bad of a catch either; side swept spiky hair that Angeal couldn’t decide between being a deep brown or black, some stubble around the face and the same red bandanna this time wound round his forehead. “You know I’ve been wondering, what would---”

Idle chatter neither of the tailing ruffians seemed exactly enthralled about was cut off abruptly as the sounds of large footsteps and voices suddenly sounded considerably closer. Shhhit --- when had the castle guards caught their trail?!

“This isn’t the time for idle chatter, boys! Let’s go!” Pushing off their heels into a steady sprint Angeal led the trio to a high wall, too high for either three of them to reach on their own in fact. “Okay, boost me up.”

“Hand over the materia first.” Biggs ordered, a hand outstretched.

“What? You don’t trust me? After all we’ve been through?!”

Blank stares. Resounding silence. Smart men --- smarter than he gave them credit for, at least.

“Ouch guys.” Angeal drawled, slipping off his satchel and tossing it into Biggs’ hand. Satisfied, the three began to hurriedly stack on top of each other, Angel having clambered up the others backs and promptly stepping on someone’s face as he shoved himself up over the ledge. Those shouts were getting closer...

“Alright Hewley, now help us up.”

“Sorry gentlemen...” Satchel tossed into the air and smugly caught once more, jiggling the bag in front of them tauntingly. “My hands are full.” And just like that Angeal was dashing off, the sound of his surname cursed into the air behind him only fueling the man forward. Well, there was no way the guards hadn’t caught  _ that  _ \--- and just as he’d thought it, there were a couple hot on his tail. Only…

The mount suddenly right at his heel wasn’t a chocobo.

_ Shit. _

Closing in fast was a striking red beast with a flaming tail, brown mane spiked and untamed on the crown of its head, down the middle of its back, and hanging at the sides of its face in well maintained braids. It was one of an endangered species, a species with scarce few survivors left. They’d been working alongside the Kingdom for a while now to repay the guards for their valiant attempt at rescuing them a decade or two back now.. It offered them a place to stay that was safe and stable as well as a way to repay the Kingdom’s kindness. They were fast. Strong. Much, much more efficient at tracking and capturing criminals than your average chocobo steed. They were also only really called upon for high priorities and in case of emergencies.

When Angeal wasn’t panicking for his life he’d allow himself a moments triumph that he’d been considered a  _ high priority _ .

Right now though there wasn’t a chance in Hell he’d be able to outrun that thing. He had to think… and he had to think fast. The sight of a hanging vine was what initially caught Angeal’s attention, picking up the pace a moment longer to snatch it into a firm grasp and leap off the ground --- to his utter relief the vine didn’t snap immediately, instead securely holding his weight as the noiret spun around the width of a wide tree, rounding the wolf-like creature and kicking its rider off its back. Angeal landed on the back of the beast with a bit of a wobble and a shake, grasping at its mane before giving a light kick to its side.

“Come on, fleabag, let’s go!”

Except instead of going forward the mutt skidded to a stop, Angeal getting a facefull of spiky hair for a moment there.

“No, forward!”

The animal was looking back over its shoulder now, eyeing that satchel knowingly. With a sudden jolt it tried to snap at the damn thing! Angeal struggled to keep his prized materia out of the mutts jaws as they spun around in a circle once, twice, three times --- chomp! Just like that it was snagged between large teeth and suddenly the two were playing an impromptu game of tug-of-war.

“Let… it… go!”

A firm yank and the satchel went flying, the long handle conveniently snagging on the farthest branch of a sideways leaning tree extending over the edge of a high cliff. Both man and beast shared a mutual sideways glance at one another before Angeal was knocking the Royal Pain in the muzzle and scrambling off its back, racing to the precarious tree with the other not far behind --- it was a struggle to say the least, tripping over each other while pushing and shoving every step of the way; Angeal had somehow fallen round the underside of the trunk hanging dangerously over the large drop and clinging to it with both arms and legs like an oversized koala. Clambering along as quickly as he could he did his best not to mind his own predicament or the fact that that mutt was trying to stamp on his hands with calloused paws and send him falling to his doom; the thief risked a heaved leap to the last branch and snagged his satchel free.

“Ha!!”

_ Crack! _

Oh no. That wasn’t good. With bare seconds to scramble back up to the top of the tree both he and the palace’s protector gripped it for dear life before it snapped clean off under their added weight, sending the two of them free falling to the rest of the forest below.

...

“...Uhg,”

Somewhere during the fall they’d gotten separated. Angeal had no idea how in the world  _ that  _ had happened but he was damn well pleased for it. And for the fact that he hadn’t broken any bones or smashed the Black Materia, that was a blessing in of itself. “This… This is gonna hurt in the morning.” Voice quiet as he rubbed at his back, more than aware the beast was likely alive as well and even more likely still on his tail. He needed to get out of here.

Sneaking around boulders and trees the noiret searched for a discreet path away from the area only to successfully discover a hidden cave after he’d gone to push his weight against a vine covered wall, stumbling right through it. What the…? Seemed he didn’t have long to dwell in his confusion however, the sound of bounding paws and the snuffling of a well trained snout spurring him back into action, sneaking away in a hurry until he --- until… a tower? Lips parted in silent awe, a confused little tilt to an eyebrow as the man wandered out the other end of the pathway. That sure was a tower alright, well hidden and discreet in this cul de sac-esque little hideaway deep in the forest.

Today was just full of surprises, wasn’t it?

Well… knock on wood; this had to be a better option than dealing with ol’ bold and brash back there; who knows, maybe he’d find a princess who needed saving.


End file.
